Group Blog talking about the NBA 2009 Eastern Conference Champions. Due to the amazing success of the 2009 playoff run comments are now frequently deleted to kill offensive comments, incoherence, or asininity. Comments can no longer be anonymous and require either a Blogger or OpenID account.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Do you want your Magic TV? Vote now.

Just curious. Are you outraged? Are you beside yourself with anger? Do you think the Declaration of Independence needs to be rewritten to say, "All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty and every Orlando Magic game -- home and away -- on expanded basic cable?"Like I said, I'm curious. That's why I'm conducting my very first Internet poll in connection with my new blog -- the cleverly conceived, double-entendre "Open Mike" -- on OrlandoSentinel.com. After you finish reading this column, please go to OrlandoSentinel.com/openmike, and vote on the poll question.The question concerns the stalemate regarding Bright House Networks (our main cable provider) and Fox Sports Net, which is not part of our cable package even though the network will carry 35 Magic games this season. What I want to know is this: If those 35 Magic games aren't on cable TV, would you, as a Magic fan, be (A) Outraged, (B) Mildly annoyed or, (C) Couldn't care less?I have to tell you, I'm torn on this topic.The sports lover in me wants to think Magic fans are so passionate they will burn their couches and riot in the streets if they can't see even one game on TV. The cynic in me says if a particular Magic game isn't on TV, the typical apathetic Magic fan will be briefly disappointed and then -- Click! . . . Hey, look, an Andy Griffith rerun on TV Land. It's the one about Aunt Bee's homemade pickles. I love this one.Don't get me wrong, I love watching the Magic on the tube, but I'm not na�ve enough to think the Magic are must-see TV for the vast majority of Orlando. The NBA isn't nearly the cultural spectacle of the NFL. There are 82 NBA games, and if you miss one -- oh well -- there's probably another one on tomorrow.Then again, I know many die-hard Magic fans out there who will be downright angry if they don't get to watch every game from their living rooms. The growing number of fans who follow the Magic only on TV is a relatively recent phenomenon in sports. There is a feeling of entitlement among today's sports fans that it is our God-given right to see every game our team plays on free TV.Of course, the teams and leagues themselves have fostered this attitude. They have turned their seasons into one massive TV show and created an entire generation of fans who never leave their couches. It's no wonder the Magic have trouble selling out their games. Who wants to fight the crowds, pay for parking, buy $5 beers and invest thousands of dollars in season tickets when you can sit at home, drink $1 beers and get a better view of the game on your 52-inch Sony plasma.If you want to get laughed at and looked at like you just stepped out of a silent movie, then try uttering this statement: "What's the big deal? If the games aren't on TV, why not just listen to them on radio?"The sarcastic response among today's high-def generation will be something like, "OK, Charlie Chaplin, just as soon as I'm finished watching Steamboat Willie, I'll go ride around town in my Studebaker and listen to freaking Dizzy Dean broadcast the game on radio."The Magic have only themselves to blame. They have created the expectation that all their games are supposed to be on TV and now must deal with the potential fallout if they're not.Are you outraged? Annoyed? Or do you even care?Go to OrlandoSentinel.com/openmike and let me know.